A New Girl In Retroville
by Midnight el Gatito
Summary: Karen hates her father for trying to divorce her mother, and so she's lashing out at him- physically and verbally. So her mother, Suzy, decides to take her to visit her cousin in Retroville for the summer. And boy, is she in for the time of her life...
1. Enter Karen

Karen Vortex stared glumly out the window at the scenery rolling by. She and her mother, Suzy, rode in a small, black Beetle down a long rural road, out in the middle of nowhere. 

Suzy stole a glance at her only daughter. "So, you looking forward to summer vacation?" she asked in an attempt to end the silence. Karen's only reply was a simple shrug. 

Suzy sighed and turned back to the road. "Karen, sweetie, no matter what may happen, your father and I will always love you." She reached over and grasped her daughter's hand. "You believe that...don't you?" 

The green-eyed teen looked at her mother, an expression of skepticism in her eyes. "If you guys love me so much, why can't you just stay together?" she challenged. 

Her mother heaved a deep, heartfelt sigh. "Kar, we would. It's just-" 

"No, no!" Karen yelled, jerking her hand away. "Don't give me that 'we just don't love each other anymore' mess!" She forcefully slammed her fist down on the armrest. 

Suzy gave the teenager a sharp look. "You listen to me, young lady. Now, I understand that you're upset, believe me I do." She narrowed her eyes. "But that does not give you the right to go around hitting things. Do I make myself clear?" When her daughter didn't reply, she repeated, "Do I make myself clear?" 

"Crystal clear, _Mother_," Karen said, her words dripping with sarcasm and ugliness. 

Suzy, after one last glance, turned her eyes back to the road. Her mind, however, wouldn't let her off so easily. 

Ever since Harold had announced two months before that he wanted a divorce, Karen had become sullen and withdrawn. Whenever asked a question, her reply was a non-committal shrug. And every time she got near her father, a huge fight erupted. The last time, a lamp ended up broken and the neighbors had to call the police. Everything was affecting her, changing the teen from the sweet, considerate girl she used to be, to an ugly, horrendous monster. Hopefully, spending the summer in Retroville with her cousin would bring that girl back. Hopefully. 

Karen became irritated at the silence, so she reached over and turned on the radio, flipping it to her favorite station. 

"Born to be wild, born to be wild," the radio screamed. 

"Karen," Suzy yelled. "Karen, could you turn it down a little?" 

The teen shot her mother an irritated glance before turning the volume down. 

"...fire all your guns at once and float into space..." Karen played an air guitar, flinging her head back and forth in a rocker imitation, her hair flying. After the song ended, she shut off the radio without so much as a glance toward her mother, and pulled a CD out of her over-stuffed backpack. 

_Harold always teases her about that backpack_, Suzy reminisced. _Always says she puts too much stuff in it..._

Karen popped the CD into her Walkman, shoved the earphones on, and started rocking again. Her lonely mother sighed. This was going to be a long trip... 

#-# 

Yah, short, I know. But this is to give y'all the basic background of Karen. BTW, in case you hadn't guessed, she's Cindy's cousin. Horrors! Don't worry, she doesn't, like, fall in love with official charas or anything. She just likes my other JN chara, G'Nor'Ta. Oh, yeah, and does anybody know what Cindy's parent's names are? Besides Mr. and Mrs. Vortex, of course. If you know, or at least have an idea, REVIEW!!! 

Peace out! 

Kris 


	2. Cindy has a boyfriend?

Hi-ya! It's my first ever JN fan-fic, so please, don't hurt meeee! 

_Disclaimers:_

Kris: Doh! I forgot this last chappie. (bangs her head) Stupid, stupid, stupid! OK, 'Born to Be Wild' is, as far as I know, (c) to Steppenwolf. And Live and Learn is (c) SEGA. Good song. Kinda creepy, though...(wanders off) 

Jimmy: (walks on stage) Ahem. You'll have to excuse the author's lack of attention. Anyway, read! 

Cindy: NEUTRON!!! Have you read this story yet?! It's got couples in it! 

Jimmy: OO; Uh...see ya later! (runs as fast as his short legs can carry him) 

Cindy: (chasing Jimmy) GET BACK HERE!!! 

----------------------------------- 

At her mother's question, Karen stopped bobbing her head. Unfortunately, she hadn't been able to hear clearly over 'Live and Learn', so she turned it off and wrapped the earphones around her neck. "Huh?" 

"I said," Suzy explained patiently, "do you want a burger?" 

Karen glanced around at everything. There was a lot more things around than in the rural country they'd been riding through the last time she'd bothered to look up. In fact, Cindy had described her town sort of like this one. 

The drive-thru they were pulling into and her mother's expectant look brought Karen out of her reverie. "Um, sure. A double cheese, please." She nodded agreeably. 

Suzy nodded, let out a small sigh of relief, and pulled up to the ordering booth. 

"Can I help you?" 

"Yes, I'd like a double Mackie combo, with Dr. Pop for the drink, and a..." Her mother's voice seemed to fade into the background as Karen's eyes focused on one sign in particular. It sat on a building, and it said- 

"Candy Bar! Mom, look, it's the Candy Bar!" 

Suzy pulled forward to the first window, and glanced in the direction her over-excited daughter pointed. "Yes. And that means..." She waited for Karen to finish. 

"It means we're almost there!" The teen nearly burst the windows with her excited screams. But Suzy didn't begrudge her the excitement. This was the first time in quite awhile she'd seen her this happy, this carefree. It gave her hope to see that excited twinkle in her eyes. 

Even though they lived quite a bit away from each other, Karen and Cindy often exchanged mail, both the regular and electronic type. And Karen loved her younger cousin like the sister she'd never had. 

The blond teen that took the money for their food stared at Karen. Under normal circumstances, the girl would've blushed beet red and turned away. But this situation was anything but normal, and so she grinned at the boy. He grinned back and waved as they pulled up to the second window. 

The girl at that window smiled politely and handed the bag and drinks out the window. "Have a nice day!" she called as they drove away. 

Karen turned to her mother, the grin still permeating her face. "Hey, Mom? Could we eat in the Candy Bar parking lot?" 

Suzy smiled at her hyper daughter. "Sure, I don't see why not," she replied, turning in. As she parked and applied the emergency brake, Karen searched the parking lot. 

"Kar, honey, just what're you doing?" Suzy winced inside, hoping Karen wouldn't explode at her again. But the teen simple replied, "Looking for Cindy." 

Her mother nodded understandingly and reached into the bag she held with both hands. Pulling out a double cheeseburger and fries, she passed them on to her daughter, who started wolfing it all down as if she hadn't even seen food since Christmas. 

"Whoa! Sweetheart, slow down! You'll get indigestion!" 

Karen glanced at her mother. She slowed down, though she still ate rather fast for her mother's taste. She finished the burger and fries and started slurping her drink, still searching for her favorite cousin. She suddenly let out a high-pitched squeal and ducked down 'til only her eyes were showing through the window. "There she is!" She turned back to her mother slightly and asked, "Are you sure she doesn't know I'm here for the summer?" 

Suzy nodded, still working on her salad. "Positive." 

Satisfied at the answer, Karen turned back and watched Cindy with another girl her age. "That must be Libby," she murmured to no one in particular. After the two girls went in, she sat back up and finished her drink, still watching as three boys approached the glass doors. To one boy's side was a rather chubby kid, with glasses and red hair. The guy on the other side was a lot taller than his friends, and had spiky black hair matched with big brown eyes. 

The boy in the middle was very short, although his hair more than made up for it, and he had bright blue eyes. He held the door open for his friends, then followed them in. 

Up until now, it hadn't occurred to Karen who the boy might be. But his odd appearance, coupled with an e-mail she'd received from Cindy, brought one name to the front. 

"Jimmy Neutron!" 

"Who?" her mother asked. 

"That's Jimmy, Cindy's boyfriend! 

--------- 

Behind the counter, Sam whistled the tune from 'The Andy Griffith Show' while polishing a glass tumbler. He held it up to the light, inspecting it for any specks or blemishes. Satisfied, he set it with the others behind him. 

A flash of blue caught his eye, and when he looked, he groaned. "Sheen." 

The hyperactive 12-year-old ran to the counter, screeching to a halt mere inches from hitting his head. 

Sam glanced at him through his glasses, his eyes narrowing warily. 

"Good morning, Sam," Sheen said uncharacteristically politely. 

"Whatever. Whaddya want, yeah?" 

Sheen considered this, scratching his chin. "I would like a Strapplemelon Slam Dunk with whipped cream and Ameracachino cherries." 

"It's maraschino," Sam replied dully, "and that'll be 5.98, yeah." He watched Sheen closely. 

The boy whipped out his Ultra Lord wallet, pulled out a 5 and a 1, and handed them to the waiting Sam. "You can keep the change," he said pleasantly. 

Sam rolled his eyes. "Gee, two whole cents. Thanks." He shook his head. "Go get in a booth and it'll be there soon, yeah." 

Sheen moved aside to let Carl place his order. As he did so, he caught sight and sound of Cindy Vortex and Libby Folfax in a nearby booth, chatting up a storm. He grinned to himself and sidled up to the girls' table. 

"So I said-" Cindy broke off mid-sentence when Sheen appeared. "What do you want, Ultra Freak?" she asked meanly. 

But the boy didn't pay attention to her words. His total concentration was on Libby. The dark-skinned girl slurped her milk shake, then looked up expectantly. "What is it, Sheen?" she asked impatiently. "What do you want?" 

Sheen bowed over at the waist. "I want only to bask in your beauty, my queen," he replied. 

Libby's eyes widened, and her cheeks darkened. Cindy spat out the Purple Flurp she'd been drinking. "What?!" she exclaimed. 

Sheen peeked up at Libby, who was too surprised and embarrassed to say anything. He straightened and snapped a smart salute. "Adios, mi reina." He turned and walked to a booth where his Strapplemelon Slam Dunk already waited with Jimmy and Carl. 

Libby gaped after him in shock. "D-did he just say what I think he said?" she sputtered. 

Cindy scowled at the trio sitting across the aisle. "Yeah, he did," she muttered. "Creep." She turned back to her Flurp. "So, anyways, like I was saying..." 

--------- 

Jimmy was typing away on a small pad while simultaneously drinking his Purple Flurp when Sheen arrived at the table. Next to him, a very happy Carl licked a delicious vanilla ice cream cone, with MiniButtons, O-he-o chunks, and Butterychoc pieces, as well as about 25 other candies. 

Jimmy looked up as Sheen slid into the booth. "What were you doing over there?" he asked curiously. 

Sheen shrugged. "Nothing much," he said, trying to pull off a casual tone, but not quite making it. He picked up a spoon and dug in. "Just stopped to say hi to Libby," he muttered around a mouthful of the Slam Dunk. 

Half of Jimmy's mouth lifted in a dubious grin, but he simply shrugged and went back to his pad. "The 1 and 5 over..." 

Carl finished his cone. He started playing with a napkin on the table. When he got bored with that, and neither Sheen nor Jimmy offered conversation, he turned to look out the window. 

One car in particular caught his attention. Maybe because the woman looked familiar, or maybe it was because the girl in the passenger seat looked like Cindy. He wasn't sure, but as he continued watching, the woman cranked up the Beetle and drove off. The really strange thing was that the girl kept looking around, as if watching for someone. 

"Carl? Hey, Carl?" Sheen knocked on the back of Carl's head. 

"Ow!" Carl swatted Sheen's hand away and rubbed his head. "That hurts..." 

Sheen took the last bite of his Slam Dunk. "Hey, Jim? Are you done yet?" 

Jimmy still muttered to himself under his breath. "...but then the equivalent of pi..." 

"Jimmy?" Sheen asked again. When he still didn't receive a reply, he snatched the small pad out of Jimmy's hand. 

"Hey!" Jimmy sat forward and scrambled to yank it back, but Sheen held it away. "Why'd you do that?" he asked irritably. 

Sheen shrugged. "You said you were going to tell us about your new invention, right?" 

Carl nodded, agreeing with Sheen. "Yeah, that's what you said, Jim." 

Jimmy thought for a moment. "Well, yeah," he admitted. "But I haven't finished the calculations and risk assessments yet. So could I please have my pad back?" he pleaded. 

Sheen shook his head. "Just tell us about it already! What is it?!" 

Jimmy sighed and sat back. "OK, OK. Well, you remember the Game Pyramid?" 

"Do I ever!" Carl snorted in reminiscent laughter. "Yeah, that was good. The llamas...and the llamas...and more llamas..." 

"Who cares about the llamas?!" Sheen stood up, slapping his palms down on the table. "Meeting Ultra Lord was AWESOME!" 

Jimmy raised an eyebrow, then shook his head. "Anyway, my new invention is just like it, except instead of sending you to the game world-" He paused dramatically and grinned. "It sends the characters to you!" 

Carl cheered loudly. "YAY! Lloyd from 'Llamapalooza 6'!" 

"No way! Ultra Lord and Robofiend from 'Ultra Lord and Robofiend 4'!" 

The three friends got strange looks from people in other booths, as well as a glare from Sam. 

After managing to quiet his friends, Jimmy cleared his throat. "Actually, I've always wanted to meet Tails from 'Sonic Heroes.'" At his friends' blank looks, he explained. "See, Tails is from the Sonic the Hedgehog world, and he can invent just about anything. Like me." 

Sheen's left eye twitched. "And..?" 

Jimmy started to explain again, then gave up. "Never mind." 

"Tails? Did you say Tails?" Jimmy looked up to see Cindy. She was staring at him with a strange look on her face. "Tails as in Miles 'Tails' Prower?" she continued. 

Jimmy narrowed his eyes at the blonde girl. "And what if I did?" he replied coolly. 

Cindy grabbed the front of his shirt. "What were you saying about him?" she demanded angrily. Jimmy started at the look on the girl's face. "Nothing! I just said that'd it'd be nice to meet him, that's all!" he said nervously. 

"What, is this about another one of your inventions?" Libby had followed her now crazed friend. She casually propped her elbows on the table, cocking an eyebrow at Cindy. 

Cindy's eyes widened. "Is it, Nerdtron?" she demanded. Jimmy, unable to say anything out of shock and fear-though mostly shock-nodded. 

Cindy, never loosening her grip, dragged Jimmy out of the booth. "And you can meet Tails with it?" she asked. Again, the boy genius merely nodded. She smiled somewhat dangerously. "Well, then, what're we waiting for?" 

----------------------------------- 

Kris: So..ya likey, ya hatey, what? Just give me some feedback. ForbiddenTrance said that they haven't given Cindy's parent's names, and I'm inclined to agree with her. If you know otherwise, or simply want to give me a suggestion for names, R&R! And another Q... 

Q: (appears; looks around) OK, what's going on? Where's Picard? 

Kris: (annoyed) Not THAT Q! 

Q: (disappears) 

Kris: Does anybody know if Cind's 'rents are divorced? 'Cause I've never seen her father. Lemme know! 

'Til later! 


	3. Never Fear, Karen Is Here!

_Disclaimers:_

Jimmy Neutron and other related charas © Paramount Pictures and Viacom International 

'How Do You Like Me Now?' © Toby Keith 

and Karen Vortex is MINE!!! 

_Dedication:_

I would like to dedicate this chapter to my little brothers and fellow JN fans. T-Meister and Cheggy, come on down! These guys inspire me, show me things I'd never see otherwise- and annoy the patooties out of me. But ya gotta love 'em! 

_Author's Note:_

Since no one seems to know what Cindy's mother's name is, I've decided to name her myself, along with Cindy's father. They'll be named after my aunt and uncle, although they aren't quite as bad as Mrs. and Mr. Vortex. Also, the previous two chapters have been run through a spell checker, as has this one. Just to let you know. And this is my longest chappie yet! 7 pages! YAY!!! 

_Shameless Plug:_

I gots a web page! Oh, yeah! (dances crazily) Click here to go to it, or check my profile. It only has G-rated stuff, so it's safe for everyone. Check it out! NOW!!! 

Now for a little response to my oh, so kind readers: 

No worries, folks. I haven't given up yet! Just a little, erm...writer's block. And I've been on vacation. Dolly Wood ROX!!! (clears throat) I would like to point out that several parts of my story are ripped off of the movies and/or shows. You get to guess which parts. On with the show! 

----------------------------------- 

Karen could hardly hold her excitement in. It'd been months since she'd seen Cindy, and now she'd stay with her a whole summer! She squirmed anxiously, wishing all of this torturous riding was over and done with. Needing to vent some of her energy, lest she burst with it, she reached for the radio, turning it to a Country station. 

"How do ya like me now? Now that I'm on my way, do you still think I'm crazy standing here today, I couldn't make you love me..." 

Karen bobbed her head slightly to the music. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught her mother smiling hopefully. The implication of that sent pain searing through her heart. 

She'd been awful to her parents, really awful. And she knew it. But they couldn't get divorced; this was the only way she could protest and be sure she was heard. Her violent reactions, though, scared even her. 

_Oh, sure, they say they don't love each other anymore. But you can't just fall out of love suddenly, in just a little while. Hey, as far as I know, it's impossible to fall out of love. Maybe if what you thought was love was really simply attraction... But my parents had been married for 16 years. If it'd been mere physical attraction, they would've divorced _years_ ago._

Karen risked a quick glance at her mother. There were wrinkles around her eyes she hadn't ever noticed before, but she was still very, very beautiful. Why would Daddy divorce her? she asked herself. So many questions...and absolutely no answers. 

Karen sighed, annoyed at her confusion and the fact she had no answers. _Maybe one day, Daddy will explain it to me..._

--------- 

Cindy's eyes widened. "Is it, Nerdtron?" she demanded. Jimmy, unable to say anything out of shock and fear -though mostly shock- nodded. 

Cindy, never loosening her grip, dragged Jimmy out of the booth. "And you can meet Tails with it?" she asked. Again, the boy genius merely nodded. She smiled somewhat dangerously. "Well, then, what're we waiting for?" 

Jimmy gulped under the hand that grasped his shirt. "Uh...it isn't ready yet," he answered. 

"What?!" Cindy shrieked. Libby straightened and went to pull her best friend away, but the girl forcefully shrugged her off. "When will it be finished?" the blonde girl asked dangerously. 

Jimmy laughed nervously. "Uh...after Sheen gives me my pad back, I could fin-" Cindy let go of his shirt, and the boy fell to the ground. She turned and advanced on a confused and, quite frankly, scared Sheen. "Give me that," she hissed between her teeth. In his fear, Sheen stumbled and dropped the electronic doo-hickey, and Cindy snatched it up. She turned back to Jimmy, who flinched slightly, and held out the pad. "Finish it," she demanded, "and let me know as soon as you're done. Got it?" 

Jimmy nodded quickly. "G-got it," he stammered. He grabbed his pad, and, with the help of Sheen and Libby, got to his feet. 

Libby watched her friend warily. "C'mon, Cindy, let's get outta here. I think the sugar's going to your head." She gingerly took the blonde girl's arm and guided her to the door, shaking her head. Cindy looked back over her shoulder at the three boys and yelled, "Don't forget, Neutron!" 

After the two girls walked out, Jimmy breathed a sigh of relief, staring at the swinging glass doors. _What was that about?_ "I guess I better get working," he muttered, shaking his head. "Come on, guys. Let's go." 

"To the lab!" Sheen yelled exuberantly, leading the way through the glass doors. 

--------- 

"OK, to the hovercraft, then to the lab!" Sheen hopped into the craft. "C'mon, guys! I wanna meet Ultra Lord again!" he exclaimed. 

Jimmy rolled his eyes in mild amusement. Sheen's over enthusiasm always amused him. Except for the times when it was downright annoying. Which were quite often. "OK, OK, I'm coming." 

Carl climbed in after Sheen. Turning to Jimmy, who had yet to get in, he asked, "Jim, can I please meet Lloyd?" He made big, pleading eyes. "Pretty please?" 

Jimmy tried to avoid those eyes as he climbed into the driver's seat. But when he turned to start it up, there was Carl, with big, almost anime eyes. He sighed in defeat. Against those eyes, defeat was imminent. "Alright, Carl, you can meet Lloyd," he agreed, though somewhat reluctantly. Who could blame him? Come on: a talking llama? 

"Yay!" Carl cheered. Jimmy simply shook his head, and glanced over at Sheen, who seemed to be deep in thought about something. 

"What're you thinking about?" he asked, curious because Sheen, of course, rarely ever thought, let alone deeply. 

Sheen took a deep breath, paused, and then spoke. "Jimmy, do you think Ultra Lord will want to play basketball?" 

Jimmy stared at his friend in disbelief as long as he could while safely driving. He turned his attention back when they had a near collision with an annoyingly placed maple tree. **That's** what all that heavy thinking was about? 

"THAT'S what all your thinking was about?!" 

Sheen slowly backed away from Jimmy as much as he could without falling, all the while giving him a strange look. "Um...are you OK?" he asked, the look on his face saying plainly he doubted it. 

The boy genius gritted his teeth. "I'm...fine, Sheen," he said, emphasizing 'fine'. He slowly shook his head again. Sheen still eyed him warily before drifting back into his daydream about Ultra Lord. 

Jimmy mentally shook himself. It wouldn't do to lose his sanity over one of Sheen's crazy questions. _I've been around him for three years with his questions. I can't lose it now!_

He felt a small tap on his shoulder and, turning slightly, saw Carl. The pudgy pre-teen had a questioning look on his face. 

"Jimmy," he began hesitantly. "I thought you said all game characters aren't real." His statement sounded more like a question. 

Sheen plugged his ears, screaming obnoxiously. "La la la, I can't hear you!" 

Ignoring his spiky haired friend, the big haired boy nodded at his other friend. "Yes, that's what I said." 

Carl looked confused. "But then...how're you gonna get Lloyd out of the game if he isn't real?" 

Jimmy grinned, the type of grin that told Carl that the explanation was likely to be more complicated than he thought. 

"That's a very good question, Carl. You see, the Lloyd that we'll meet won't actually be a physical manifestation, like us. He'll simply be comprised of protons and contained energy." 

A rather short explanation, but Carl looked even more confused. Jimmy sighed, deciding to put it into layman's terms, which were basically the only ones his decidedly un-genius friends could understand. 

"He's going to be a hologram." 

Carl's face brightened, and he nodded understandingly. "Oh." 

Jimmy looked down as he turned onto his street. There was an unfamiliar car sitting in Cindy's driveway. A girl and a woman climbed out. The woman looked to be Suzy Vortex, Cindy's aunt who'd pretended to be the girl's mother for the parent/child picnic a few months ago. But as for the girl... She didn't look at all familiar. 

Curious despite himself, Jimmy slowed the hover craft and watched as the chocolate haired teen twirled around the driveway, waving her arms in the air crazily and nearly tripping over her own feet. 

Sheen became curious about what Jimmy was watching so he glanced over at the Vortex's house. Noticing Sheen's attention, Jimmy asked, "What's she doing?" Sheen watched for a few more seconds, and then answered, "It looks like the 'Dance of The Blue Girls' of Moriden 6 from Ultra Lord episode #647." That earned another eye roll from Jimmy. 

The girl looked up then, presumably hearing Sheen. She seemed to recognize Jimmy, because she grinned and waved at him like Sheen would...without a stupid grin, though. 

They flew on past his house, and Jimmy had to double back. By now, the girl and Suzy must've gone inside, for no sign of life stood (or twirled) in the driveway. 

Carl danced around, oblivious to the outside world, wrapped up in the happiness of one who knew he (or she) would meet their favorite person (or fictional character). "Lloyd, Lloyd, Lloyd the Llama," he sang. "He's the one and only llama-sama!" 

Jimmy rolled his eyes yet again at his friend's little ditty. Sometimes, Carl could act so immature...even for him. 

He steered the hovercraft to his backyard, turned it off, and hopped out. Sheen and Carl hopped out after him, and the trio headed for the clubhouse. The boy genius plucked one from his thick hair and held it up to Vox's scanner. 

"Identity clarified," Vox stated calmly. The mat under the trio's feet dropped, sending a screaming Carl, a whooping in delight Sheen, and a rather bored Jimmy sliding into the lab. All three landed hard on their derrieres with slight grunts of pain. Brushing off his trademark jeans, Jimmy sprang to his feet, ran to the control panel, and sat back in his chair. He turned to the screen, typing maniacally as soon as he sat, blocking out the outside world entirely. This, however, did not disturb Carl and Sheen, as they were, of course, used to their friend's total immersion in his work. 

Sheen poked at Jimmy's girl-eating plant, not worried about getting bitten since he was a manly man (...right) He noticed some chewed up pictures of Cindy, with a few intact ones of Libby from a few years ago. Glancing cautiously over his shoulder at his friends, he snatched one up and silently tucked it in his back pocket, a secretive grin on his face. 

Carl played quietly with Goddard. The mechanical pooch seemed more than happy to have someone to play with, since Jimmy was always working on something or other and the only person left to play with was Hugh. (EEEK!) 

"I've got it!" Jimmy exclaimed, jumping out of his chair a doing a little jig. The boy laughed loudly, almost insanely, jumping back into his chair. "I've got it!" He turned back to the monitor, typing furiously. Sheen and Carl traded somewhat nervous glances. 

"Here we go again," Carl sighed with uncharacteristic sageness. 

--------- 

Lynn Vortex showed Karen and Suzy to two comfortable chairs; they looked to Karen to be the only comfortable seats in the entire house. Karen's aunt perched on a stiff looking love seat, her hands folded in her lap. "Are you tired?" Lynn inquired politely. 

Suzy stretched her arms out. "Not really," she replied. "We stopped every once in a while to stretch our legs." 

Lynn nodded. "I haven't told Cynthia of your plans to stay this summer, so it will be a..." She noticeably hesitated before speaking the word. "...surprise." 

Karen's freckled face broke into a grin. "Thanks, Aunt Lynn!" She jumped up and hugged the startled woman around the neck. "This is great! It'll be like a sleepover...only all summer long!" The teen practically bounced to the window to search for Cindy. A thought occurred to her then. She turned to her mother. "Mom, don't you think Cindy will get suspicious when she sees your car?" 

Suzy cocked her head in thought. "Maybe," she agreed. "Lynn," she turned to her sister-in-law, "do you think we could park in your garage?" 

Mrs. Vortex shook her head. "Absolutely not. Robert has piled his tools and Heaven knows what else in there until absolutely nothing else will fit." 

Karen's shoulders slumped, but only for a second. "Do you think Mr. Neutron would let us park in his garage?" she asked hopefully. 

Lynn's eyebrows raised until they disappeared into her hairline. Composing herself, she replied, "I seriously doubt it. Ducktron over there probably has his packed to the roof with wooden ducks." She shrugged. "But you _could_ ask him." 

Karen turned to her mother. "Could we? Please?" 

Suzy hesitated, glancing to her sister-in-law for confirmation. "OK, Karen," she finally agreed, getting up from the luxurious chair. Her muscles demanded reprieve after the 6-hour drive, despite the frequent stops. But anything was worth it to see her daughter happy again. "We'll go ask." 

"You might want to hurry," Lynn offered as Karen bolted for the door. "Cynthia should be here any minute." 

Outside, Karen fairly skipped ahead to the Neutron house, her athletic mother actually having to catch up. Suzy couldn't recall seeing her daughter so happy and excited- at least, not since Harold announced he wanted a divorce. 

_It all comes back to that._ Suzy looked at her daughter's face, creased into the smile she'd wanted to see for two long months. _Because of her cousin..._ She sighed heavily, feeling the burden of her and Harold's decision. They had each promised to never reveal exactly why they were splitting to Karen, but Suzy wanted now more than ever to spill the secret. Maybe she'd see the gleam of understanding in her daughter's eyes...maybe Karen would smile more often. 

_You promised,_ a voice echoed. _You promised you'd never tell._ Suzy swallowed hard. Not now...she wouldn't tell Karen now. _But when she comes home...I'll make Harold tell her himself._

**_A while later..._**   
--------- 

Libby cautiously watched her red-faced friend as they walked along the sidewalk. Cindy's outburst had not only shocked Jimmy and his friends, but Libby as well. Of course, she'd always figured her blonde friend could put on a good tantrum...but this? No way she'd ever guessed it'd actually happen. 

"You can stop looking at me like that, Libby," Cindy snapped. "I'm not going to go off the deep end again." 

Her companion blinked in surprise. "Sorry," Libby murmured, glancing at her friend again. 

Cindy sighed heavily. "No, I'm sorry. I'm sorry I snapped at you, I'm sorry I made a spectacle of my self at the Candy Bar, I'm sorry Jimmy saw me acting like that..." She stopped at her closest friend's muffled giggle. "What're you laughing at?" she demanded. 

Libby's chocolate eyes twinkled in merriment as she paused alongside her friend. "Jimmy? Not Nerdtron or Pewtron? And you're sorry he saw you in a fit of fan girlishness?" She laughed out loud. 

Cindy's cheeks turned even redder. "I-that-you know what I mean!" She huffed indignantly and stormed down the sidewalk toward her house. Libby, unable to walk in a straight line because of her giggles, called after her. "Aw, come on, Cindy! You know I was just kidding with you!" 

Cindy pointedly ignored her as she stamped on up the sidewalk and to her front door. Her friend caught up with her and laid a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry, Cindy," she repeated solemnly. "I didn't mean to make you mad or anything." 

Cindy's shoulders slumped. "It's all right, Libs." She smiled at her friend, just a tiny smile, but enough for Libby to know all was forgiven. "Would you like to come in? Mother might allow us to have one cookie and some milk." 

Libby nodded, relieved she'd forgiven and forgotten. "Sure. Sounds good to me." She paused. "But don't have a sugar cookie." 

Cindy's brow crinkled as she pushed open the door. "Why not?" 

Libby put on her best teacher voice. "We don't want another sugar-induced scene, now do we?" she asked, wagging her finger. Cindy groaned and walked in. "Do you want me to lock you out?" 

The two girls laughed and giggled all the way to the living room. Cindy calmed herself down enough to ask her mother, "May we have a cookie?" 

Lynn sniffed at the thought of her daughter having cookies before supper. "You'll ruin your appetite." 

"Just one. Please?" Cindy tried a little smile 

Her mother started to argue, then gave a light shrug and nodded. "Go ahead. But you might want to set an extra one out." 

Cindy and Libby traded confused glances as they thanked Mrs. Vortex and walked back to the kitchen. Cindy reached into the cabinet and pulled down a plate of home made cookies while Libby poured the milk. 

"What do you think she meant by that?" Libby asked. 

Cindy shrugged. "I don't know. She doesn't usually let _me_ have a cookie this soon before supper, let alone tell me to set an extra one out." She pulled three cookies out and set them on another plate. 

"Well, well. Hello, Cindy-Mindy." Cindy froze with her hand halfway from the plate. She slowly turned to see green eyes, almost identical to her own, sparkling at her. "K-Karen?" she stuttered. 

Karen split into a huge smile as she slung an arm around her astonished cousin's shoulders. "Didn't expect to see me here, didja?" She turned her grin to Libby, who stood out of the way, staring at the two. "Hi! You must be Libby. Cindy talks about you all the time." 

Libby smiled back. "Hi. Um, not to be rude or anything, but...who are you?" 

Karen laughed. "Don't tell me Cindy didn't tell you about me! The name's Karen Vortex." She grinned wider at Libby. "And I'm Cind's cuz." She planted her hands on her hips and scrutinized Cindy. "Boy, you should've seen the look on your face! Aunt Lynn didn't tell you, did she?" she asked in a tone that indicated she doubted it. 

Cindy gazed at her cousin bewilderedly. "Tell me what?" 

Karen's grin grew until it nearly split her face in half. "I'm gonna stay with you guys this summer!" 

Cindy gaped at her. "Y-you're staying?" she repeated. "For the summer?" 

Karen nodded vigorously. "Yep!" She hugged her cousin again. "Isn't that great?" 

Cindy winced slightly. _Oh, no... Please, no..._

--------- 

_Oh, no?_ What does she mean, oh, no? Well, you'll just have to wait for next chapter, now, won't you? (grins) But I'll give you a hint: Karen's a country gal, while Cindy's used to city living. Hey! Now that I think about it that sounds kind of like the Country Mouse and City Mouse doesn't it? Creepy. (shrugs) OK, R&R! If you want to comment on, praise (pleasepleaseplease!) or criticize my fic, feel free! But please, please don't blast me. After all, I'm trying! Just point out bleh spots and give an overall critique. R&R! R&R!!! (gets hit by a tomato) Alright, I'll leave you alone! Yeesh. 

'Til later! 

Kris 


	4. Five Letter Word For FanGirl

_Disclaimers:_ Jimmy, my main man, is © Paramount Pictures and Viacom International 

The 'fweaky lookin' quote is from Disney's 'Tarzan'. I'm crossing Disney with Nickelodeon? (gasp!) Yeah. Gotta problem with it? 

Sonic, Cream, Amy Rose, and Shadow are (unfortunately) © Sega and Sonic Team. 

And John Yugerty, er Fidgety, I mean, Fogerty...is copyright himself, I guess. 

_Reviews:_ ()() Wowsers bowsers, look at these reviews! Thanks, you guys! I guess I better respond: 

lucyrocks73: I know what you mean. Stories that have glaring grammar problems can be irritating. 

Majestic Twelve: The Good Son? I don't think I've ever seen it. But thanks! And I _loved_ Cindy and Jimmy's MultiVerse Adventure! 

CuriousGeorge33: (blushes) Aw, shucks. Thanks. 

fanjimmy: Well, not really...but there _will_ be a good scene about those e-mails...(grins evilly) 

Well, this is chapter four, y'all! And I got it done in record time! Just what did Cindy mean by, Oh, no? Will Karen finally meet Jimmy and the gang? Will she go crazy from Sheen? Who doesn't? Anyway, on with it! 

----------------------------------- 

Cindy groaned slightly. "You're...staying the whole summer?" she repeated, dreading the answer. 

Karen's grin grew wider, if possible. "Yuppers!" she chirped, squeezing her cousin's shoulders. "I can't wait!" 

Libby looked on with a slightly bemused smile, glancing at Cindy's darkening expression with some concern. 

Karen sighed. "You wouldn't believe how long I've been waiting for this, Cinds. We've got a lot to talk about." Her face fell then, and she let her cousin go. She turned toward the living room. "I'm gonna go unpack, all right?" she said softly over her shoulder. 

Cindy nodded uncertainly. "All right." After hearing the footsteps on the stairwell, she moaned and turned to Libby. "Oh, no!" she wailed. "Why did she have to come? Why?" 

Libby still stared at the doorway. "What do you think she meant, you have to talk?" she asked. 

Cindy shrugged, too bogged in her own problems to care. "Who knows? Probably wants to talk about some hick stuff only she'd know about." She slumped into a chair, uncaring of the cookies lying before her. 

Libby sat beside her. "That's mean," she admonished quietly. 

"Yeah, well, it's the truth. Who cares what happens in Hicksville, North Carolina? I don't!" 

Libby moved her hand to cover Cindy's that fidgeted with the tablecloth fringe. "Cindy, she looked really worried. Something might be wrong, something bad." 

"What? Her chickens got some kind of chicken pox? Heaven forbid!" she snapped sarcastically. 

Libby's concerned expression only grew. "Cindy, this isn't like you. What happened with you guys? She seemed happy to see you. Why aren't you happy to see her?" 

Cindy raised her gaze to that of her friend's, her green eyes snapping. "We're totally different, all right? She's the hicky hick from Hicksville, Hick Country who's into sci-fi and all that boy junk. She prefers John Yugerty, or Fidgety, or whatever, to the N Street Guys! She drives me crazy! At least when I'm not around her, I have _some_ sanity!" 

Libby shook her head in amazement. "I can't believe you," she said in wonderment. "The way you're acting, you can't really back up that statement. Just because she's not into boy bands and that kinda stuff, you're rejecting her? I just can't believe you," she repeated, pushing away her chair and standing. She gazed at her friend with something resembling pity in her eyes. "Call me when you get everything straight, OK?" With that, she vacated the room, her head still shaking. 

Cindy glared after her friend. "You don't get it," she muttered. "You don't have a cousin who'd beat Nerdtron at the Geekiest Geek Convention." Realizing she was talking to herself, and according to a certain boy genius, that was a sign of losing your sanity, she grumbled under her breath and shoved away from the table. As she automatically put away the cookies, as her mother had taught her since she'd turned four, she didn't hear the footsteps on the wooden floor trudging to the stairs. 

Karen stared at her hand that rested on the banister through eyes blurred with tears. _She always seemed so nice...at the reunions, she talked to me when even Jer and Cherry wouldn't._

The hand formed into a fist as a familiar voice echoed through her head. _Don't get mad,_ the voice taunted. _Get even. Ignore her. Make her feel as bad as you do._

_Like you have with your father?_ another voice asked. 

_Make her feel like you do._ The first voice drowned out the second. _Make her hurt. Don't let her get away with it! You don't deserve to be treated that way!_

As the voices warred with each other, the first beginning to win out, Karen felt the anger, the incredible rage that'd drained away, return with a vengeance. _You're not a hick! Show her who's a hick! Fight back! Aim low, make it hurt!_

_No! She just doesn't understand!_

_Shut up,_ Karen mentally told the second voice. _Who asked you, anyway?_ Stomping up to the guest room, she resolved that Cindy would _never_ call her that again. _I'll show you just who's a hick, Cynthia Vortex...and it's a lesson you won't ever forget._

----------------------------------- 

"Finished!" Jimmy stated, though not with a small amount of excitement, as he leapt away from the computer and faced his two friends. 

"Ultra Lord! Ultra Lord! Ultra Lord!" Sheen jumped up and dashed toward his friend, who motioned frantically for him to slow down. The spiky haired boy, of course, didn't notice, and ran headlong in a solid steel invention- he couldn't remember the name of it- that Jimmy had built a few months before. 

"Sheen! Are you OK?" Carl asked worriedly, making his way to where his friend sat on the hard concrete floor, rubbing his forehead, which incredibly did not exhibit any signs of bruising. 

"Yeah, yeah, sure." He jumped back up, looking expectantly at Jimmy. "So? Are you finished?" 

Jimmy, after making sure Sheen really was all right, grinned and turned to his dog. "Gentleman, may I present to you, The Inverted Game Pyramid!" 

On cue, Goddard's back panels opened and the holo-emitter emerged. Switching on, it showed the face of a young girl, humanoid in appearance, with green skin, orange eyes, and a mischievous look. 

With a yelp, Jimmy grabbed Goddard's head. "The IGP, IGP!!!" Amid Sheen's snickers and Carl's confusion, the holographic presentation changed to a picture of a relatively small pyramid with two pads sitting before it. Regaining his composure, Jimmy started his monologue. "As you can see, it looks much like the original Game Pyramid. But instead of sending you to the game..." Pausing, he grinned widely. "It sends the game to you! Or rather, select characters." 

"Cool! Ultra Lord! Ultra Lord! Ultra Lord!" Sheen chanted. 

"No!" Carl protested. "Lloyd!" 

Sheen got in Carl's face. "No, it's gonna be Ultra Lord!" he yelled. Usually passive, Carl got right back in Sheen's face. "Lloyd!" "Ultra Lord!" "Lloyd!" "Ultra Lord!" "LLOYD!!!" "ULTRA LORD!!!" 

Jimmy tried to pry the two apart. "Guys, guys! Settle down!" Successfully pulling them apart, he sighed. "We'll meet everybody, OK? Once I build it, the limit's two at a time from each game." He gave Sheen another look, as if to say, _Don't even think about it._

Sheen, of course, ignored the silent warning. "Ultra Lord and Robo-Fiend!" he yelled, causing Jimmy to cover his ears to protect them. 

"No!" Carl yelled. "Lloyd and Lara!" 

"Lara?" Sheen and Jimmy asked together, giving each other questioning looks. 

Carl grinned stupidly. "Yep. Lara Llama from 'Lara Llama and The Tomb of King Leroy'." 

Jimmy rolled his eyes. _What will they think of next?_ "OK, but just one game at a time, guys. After all, it _will_ be the IGP's maiden voyage." 

Sheen's eye glazed over. "The wha?" 

Jimmy started to answer, then decided it'd be useless. "I'll start building it now." He gave the other two pointed looks. 

"Uh, yeah, _The Wonderful World of Llamas_ is coming on in a little while," Carl said, taking the hint. He tugged on Sheen's shirt. 

"What?" Sheen asked irritably. "_The Ultra Lord Show_ doesn't come on until five o'clock." Seeing Jimmy's look, he nodded quickly. "But, uh, that should give me time to get into my costume. Bye!" 

With that, Carl and Sheen vacated the lab. Jimmy shook his head ruefully and looked at Goddard. "Sometimes, boy, I think Carl understands more of the subtle things of life than Sheen." 

Goddard's view screen flipped open. "_Sometimes?_" 

Laughing, Jimmy went to work. "I wonder what Miles would think about my nano-bots?" he mused. "He might know how to fix them." Shrugging, he attached two wires. "Only one way to find out..." 

----------------------------------- 

Karen laid stomach down on her bed, casually flipping through _A Teen's World_, seeming to read but not seeing any of the words through the red haze obscuring her vision. _Calling me a hick...who does she think she is?_

_Come on...you know how Aunt Lynn is. And she's bound to affect her own daughter. Can you really blame her?_ the voice returned. 

_Hmm, lemme see...YES!!! She's a self-absorbed, ill-trained, obnoxious little-_

_Temper, temper. So she called you a hick? So what? Maybe you are one, just a little bit. No reason to get mad._

_Oh, _really 

As the voices battled tirelessly, Karen gave up pretending to read and stared broodingly out the window. The room she had, next to Cindy's, looked out over the street and the Neutron's. The walls and bedspread followed a theme; specifically, one of pink and Barbie. Since Cindy had given up her doll craze a year ago, Mrs. Vortex obviously had them put in this room. Why they hadn't simply gotten rid of them, Heaven only knew. Karen preferred a deep teal and dark purple. This room was _way_ too cheerful for her taste. And for her mood. 

She tried her best to ignore the voices, but they relentlessly continued arguing. The fact that she could hear them almost audibly worried her. _Isn't that a sign of insanity?_

Sighing, Karen closed the magazine and shoved off the bed, striding over to the window. She noted with some interest two boys, one tall and slim, the other short and pudgy, walking away from the Neutron house. _They're Jimmy's friends,_ she realized. _What're their names? Shawn and Carlton? No, no, Sheen and Carl. That's it._

Watching them swept some of the tension and frustration away. Why, she couldn't understand, but maybe it was simply because this took no thinking or puzzling. Whatever the reason, it took her mind off her troubles. The taller one -_Sheen?_- seemed to be yelling at his friend, but Carl shook his head forcefully and argued back. 

Karen laughed softly to herself at the comedic scene. Her spirits lifted, her face broke into a smile, and she went back to sit on her bed. She flipped through her magazine, stopping at an article about teenagers and divorce. _Just what I need...maybe there'll be something in here to help me with Momma and Daddy..._

----------------------------------- 

An hour went by as she read everything between the covers. Feeling a sharp hunger pang, Karen closed her magazine and rolled off the bed. She noted with some disappointment she hadn't heard Cindy come up the stairs, then shrugged it off. 

She left the room and walked down the stairs, her hand trailing along the banister. Upon reaching the bottom, she heard some voices in the living room and so directed her steps in that direction. 

Her Aunt Lynn and Uncle Robert stood in the middle of the room. Lynn had her fists planted firmly on her hips, her mouth opened wide and yelling. Robert simply stood there, gazing at the ground, his hands in his pockets. 

"You think you can stay away for hours at a time, and then have the nerve to come in here and tell me what to fix for supper?!" she shrieked. 

Robert raised his head slightly. "I was just saying, maybe we can have your famous Baked Mac and Cheese tonight." 

Lynn's green eyes glared at her husband. "What if I'm not going to _fix_ that? What if _I_ want to fix _meatloaf_?!" 

Robert shrugged slightly. "Whatever you want to fix, Lynn," he responded quietly. He turned and walked away, leaving his wife to fume. 

Karen watched all this with disbelief. Her mother never said anything like _that_ to her father; if they ever got mad at each other, it was because of something big, like maybe if her father misplaced the money for the telephone bill. _And I always thought Uncle Robert and Aunt Lynn were always nice to each other..._

She decided not to go into the living room, just in case. So she went back around to the kitchen. Another hunger pang made itself felt. She remembered the money her mother had given her. _Maybe Aunt Lynn won't mind if I just get me something small to eat..._

Karen trudged back up the stairs, thinking about the scene she'd just witnessed. It seemed so weird to her, compared to what she grew up with. Fighting about _meatloaf_? The only person she knew that liked meatloaf that much was her mother, and she never fought with her father about it. A quote from one of her favorite movies summed it up, as far as she was concerned: _It's fweaky lookin', that's what it is. Yeah, fweaky lookin'._

She passed Cindy's room on her way. Strange sounds came out of it. Deciding to post-pone her search for food, she went to check in on her cousin. _After what she-_ Karen squashed the voice almost immediately as the door opened under her hand. Her blonde cousin lay curled into a fetal position on her bed, sobbing her heart out. 

"Cindy?" she asked quietly. The girl sat up quickly, looking at her through teary eyes. Karen quietly closed the door behind her and crossed the room to sit on the edge of Cindy's bed. 

Her cousin hurriedly wiped her eyes and sniffled. "Hi, Karen." She looked away. 

"What's the matter?" Karen asked, noticing the way her cousin's shoulders shook ever so slightly. 

Cindy looked back at her, fresh tears threatening. "My _mother_, that's what!" She fisted her hands tightly. "Why does she keep doing it? She keeps picking little fights with my dad, like where to go for vacation. It's stupid and pointless, but she keeps doing it anyway!" 

Karen waited patiently as her younger cousin poured out her frustrations. "I think I know what you're talking about," she said slowly. "You mean, like the 'meatloaf or baked mac and cheese' fight a little while ago, right?" 

Cindy looked at her cousin a little guiltily. "You heard it?" she asked lowly. 

Karen nodded. "It kinda struck me as strange, too. I mean, my parents rarely ever fight, which makes the divorce confusing, but-" 

"Divorce?" Her cousin stared at her. "Your parents are going to get divorced? Why?" 

Karen shrugged. "I really don't know," she said sadly. "They won't tell me. And it's not like they had any really big fights right before it. Daddy even lives with us. I just don't get it." 

Cindy sat there, looking thoughtful. "That's what you wanted to talk to me about, wasn't it?" she asked. When Karen nodded, a light blush colored her face before she turned away. 

_Yeah, yeah...you thought I was worried about my non-existent chickens getting the pox..._

"Shut up!" Not realizing she'd spoken out loud, Karen didn't understand the look Cindy gave her. "What?" 

Cindy stared at her cousin, not entirely assured of her sanity. "I...you just told me to shut up." 

Karen's face turned even redder than Cindy's. "Um, I did? Sorry. I wasn't talking to you, I was just..." She let her words trail as she took in the other girl's dubious expression. "Never mind," she covered quickly. 

Cindy watched her closely before shaking her head. "OK." 

She jumped a little when her stomach growled loudly, begging for food. Giving a laugh, she wondered, "Do you think Mother would mind if we went out tonight?" 

Karen shrugged. "It's a special occasion, right? After all, Karen Vortex in da hooouuuse!" She giggled at the look that crossed Cindy's face. "Get used to it, Cinds. After all," she put her arm around the younger girl's shoulder, "I'm gonna be here _all_ summer." She grinned when Cindy groaned. 

Cindy shook her head ruefully. "If I must," she sighed. She silently studied her cousin, then nodded to herself. _Maybe this summer won't be so bad, after all..._

----------------------------------- 

Jimmy beamed with delight as he stepped back, taking in the sight of his newest invention. "It's finished, Goddard!" he cried. 

The mechanical dog woofed his approval. Thinking a moment, his view screen opened and revealed the words, "Call Cindy." 

Jimmy's smile faded, and he looked from the IGP to Goddard, and back again. His shoulders slumped as he nodded. "You're right," he muttered, more to himself than anyone. 

Goddard fetched the rocket shaped phone and brought it expectantly to his master. With a sigh, Jimmy accepted it and dialed the numbers. "Cindy?" he asked apprehensively. "Yes, it's me, _Vortex_. What? Oh, yeah? Well, you're a- what? Oh. Um...I just called to tell you that, uh, the IGP's finished. The Inverted Game Pyramid. Yes. Yes. It's done. How does it work?" Grinning, he went on to ramble about the machine. "...and that's how- what? No, I haven't tested it yet." Wincing, he held the phone away from his ear. Goddard clearly heard Cindy say, "OK, I'll be there in a few minutes!" 

"What?!" Jimmy tried to stop her. "Cindy, no, I-" He stared at the dead phone in his hand. With a groan, he sat on a chair, burying his head in his hands. "She's coming over right now, Goddard," he muttered. 

Goddard's still opened view screen revealed the words, "She must be excited." 

Jimmy gulped audibly. "Yeah, and if anything goes wrong..." he made a slashing motion across his throat. "I'm dead!" 

----------------------------------- 

Karen watched her cousin curiously. "Was that Jimmy Neutron?" 

Cindy nodded vigorously, her blonde ponytail swishing around as she placed her phone back on the dressing table. "He called to tell me his IGP's finished!" She bounced up from her bed, fairly dancing to her closet. 

Karen's brow crinkled in concentration. "Run that by me again. The what?" 

Cindy grabbed a T-shirt from the dresser drawers and held it up to her. Frowning at her reflection, she discarded the shirt and chose another one. "The IGP. It's the Inverted Game Pyramid." She beamed at her cousin in the mirror. "It lets you meet game and movie characters. Nerdtron knows all the fancy gibberish, but as far as he told me, it takes the personality of the characters and converts it into data we can understand better." 

Karen's poker face firmly in place, she responded, "And that would be?" 

"Holograms." She threw that shirt away and grabbed yet another. 

Her brown haired cousin nodded slowly. "Okey doky smoky," she murmered, frowning at a wayward tuft of hair hanging in front of her eyes 

Deciding on a pretty light purple shirt and matching shorts, Cindy changed quickly. Running for the door, she paused and glanced over her shoulder. "Would you like to come check it out?" she asked. 

Karen grinned, jumping off the bed. "Who're we meeting?" 

Cindy crouched close to the floor and grabbed something out of a bookshelf. Standing, she smiled widely and held the game up. "_I'm_ meeting Tails. Who do you want to meet?" 

Karen peered closely at the case, featuring three characters on the front. "I'd have to say..." She groaned slightly. "I can't pick! Shadow's cute, but then I'd love to meet Cream, and Amy seems cool, but then there's Sonic, and-" 

Cindy gaped at her cousin, not believing her ears. "You-you like Sonic?" she stuttered. 

Karen grinned slightly. "Didn't think I'd know who Sonic was, did you? I'll have you know I'm a major Shadow fan, and proud of it!" She thumped her chest proudly. 

Her younger cousin shook her head in amazement. "Whatever," she said unsurely. "Let's go see if Nerdtron's done something _right_ for once." 

As she followed her cousin out the room, Karen's mind fixed on several different things: _She seems to be getting used to me. Maybe I was making much ado about nothing And I thought Jimmy was her boyfriend? Why did she call him _Nerd_tron?_

----------------------------------- 

Heh heh. Couldn't resist adding some Sonic fan-ness. I mean, come on: tell me Cindy doesn't strike you as a Tails fan? She has a soft side that she tries to hide, and her liking Tails (Tails: ()-();;;;;;;) would emphasize that. 'Sides...it's just too cuuuute! 

9 and a quarter pages, people! Longest chapter so far! YAY!!! Hey-yo! Whoo! OK, OK, I'm stopping. Seriously. 

Well, just R&R, I guess. Tell me what you liked, disliked, offer constructive criticism (not 'Hey, yo storie stinks!!11') or just comiserate with me the horrors of late-night writing. 

Catch ya on the flip side! 

Kris 


	5. Giant Space Rock, Ahoy!

Sakes alive, it's Chapter 5! Yeah, baby! 

_Diclaimers:_ How many times I gotta tell you folks? I do NOT own Jimmy Neutron. The good people at Paramount Pictures and Viacom International do. Though I wish I owned Sheen... And if you don't know who owns Sonic, let me quote Meldar Prime: What, do you people live in a cave?! And if you do...I sincerely apologize (sweatdrop). SEGA and Sonic Team own the Floating Island, Sonic, the Master Emerald, and his furry friends. (cries) I wanna own Shadow-San!

Shadow: --; And am I glad you don't...

_Reviews:_ Aw, thanks, you guys! You're so nice! Sorry if I missed anybody...

fanjimmy: Uh...Shadow, perhaps?

kpgrl0816: Hehe.

yay: Ah, but I can't very well do that. That's a whole other story...(grins mysteriously)

Majestic Twelve: Thankies! And please, for the love of Ultra Lord, write another story!

PinkPowerRanger07: (blushes) Aw, stop it! Thanks! And I'm impatient too. Pff.

Neutron Phantom: Well, thank you! I, myself, think my style isn't expressive enough, though...

soldier!!!!!: Aw, you're so nice! ...when you want to be! (winks) Love ya, bro!

shadowedstar213: Hehehe. Can you imagine the look on Cindy and Jimmy's face?!

_Note:_ Minds, when Karen is addressing Cindy, is pronounced like Cinds. Just so you know.

Now it's time for the apologies for the late-ness. I've gotten rather caught up in my Sonic fan-dom...again. --; But there's a really awesome site! And it's called Netraptor, followed by a dot and an o-r-g. I spelled it out like that because, for SOME reason, the good ol' boys here at FanFiction won't let me write it out like normal. (growl) Who came up with all these rules of theirs, anyways? (dodges tomatoes) Yeesh! I'm kidding!

I'll let you know if I find any awesome JN fan sites, but so far, no dice.

I'm also working on various other projects, such as the New World series, my web site, an exchange at NetRaptor...(shakes her head) It's a wonder I get anything done. Sorry this chapter took so long. (dodges the tomatoes..again) I AM SORRY!!!

(clears throat) Well, here's Chappie 5! Really, nothing more to see here...MOVE IT ALONG!!!

-----------------------------------

Karen silently followed her cousin down the stairs, out the front door, and across the street. "Where is this invention, anyway?" she asked finally as they stepped onto the Neutrons' front lawn.

"Neutron's lab."

She nodded. "And, uh, that would be...where?"

Cindy pointed to a small shack. As they neared, she directed Karen to stand on the mat outside the door. "Hey, Nerdtron! Open up!"

Karen stared down at the mat in confusion. "Why do I have to stand heeeeeeere?!" Without warning, the green rug gave out from under them and sent them down a long slide.

Fortunately, Goddard had reminded his master to replace the mattress underneath the opening, and the two Vortexes fell out onto it.

Karen looked around in wonder as she stood and brushed her pants off. "Whoa," she breathed, taking in all the inventions and parts strewn around from the recent effort of building the IGP.

Cindy shrugged off her wonder carelessly. "Where is it, Neutron?" she demanded, standing with Karen.

Jimmy appeared from behind a mechanical behemoth. "Uh, right here."

When Cindy went toward it, he stepped in front to stop her. "I haven't tested it yet," he protested. "I don't even know what the side effects of attempting something like this would be!"

"Step aside, Neutron!" She effortlessly shoved the startled boy genius away and stepped to a section clearly marked, 'Player'.

"No, Cindy! It might-" Jimmy's words were cut short by a very audible rumble.

Vox's main screen started flashing red. "Foreign object entering the atmosphere," the calm voice stated.

Jimmy, now ignoring Cindy and the IGP, ran for the screen. "Display object's dimensions and speed," he ordered. The schematics appeared at his command. He studied them intently, his fingers racing across the keyboard.

Cindy forgot the IGP, too. She studied the screen with the same intensity as the brown haired boy.

Karen looked, too, but it made no sense. "Uh...what is it, you guys?" she asked nervously.

The boy genius shot a glance over his shoulder, then did a double take. "Who are you?" he asked curiously.

"Never mind that!" Cindy snapped. "That's a space rock!"

Karen frowned in frustration. "A whatta what? What's a space rock?"

Cindy reached over Jimmy's shoulder and typed a few commands. "Long story short, it's bad news."

The trio silently watched as the screen displayed a clear view of the rock. Numbers flashed across the screen. Jimmy let out a low, absent whistle as he scanned the numerals popping up. "It's huge. Bigger than any of the others." His forehead creased as he frowned. "I've gotta stop it, and soon. See," he keyed a few commands, "it's heading for the lake. At this speed, and if it hits the water...well, we can say bye-bye to any fish for the next few years."

Karen's eyes widened. "Anything else?"

Jimmy squinted at the screen. "It could cause a giant wave to crash over Retroville, effectively wiping out any signs of life." He turned his chair to face the gaping teen, who, of course, could not believe the casual tone he used.

"But I can stop it," he added, bolting from the chair. Once standing, he sprinted for the door, pausing to grab a stack of pancake looking blue things.

"Hey!" Cindy exclaimed, running after him. "We're coming, too!"

"Uh...we are?" Karen giggled nervously. "Why? I mean, he looks like he's got the situation under control, and I-"

Her cousin reached back, grabbed her hand, and practically dragged her to the door, although she stood a foot shorter than Karen. "If you're going, Neutron, so are we," Cindy insisted, her tone giving no way out.

Jimmy started to protest, then gave up, shaking his head in defeat. "Alright, but hurry up!"

Despite Karen's arguments, Cindy managed to get her out the door and into Jimmy's hovercraft. "I still don't see why we have to go," she continued as the two younger kids climbed in. "Honestly, I'd be _way_ more of a hindrance than a help. I mean, I'm so clumsy, I broke Grandma's favorite flower vase. She was really close to killing me! Remember, Minds?"

Jimmy's eyes sparkled with laughter as he started the craft up. "Minds?" he taunted, the hover craft lifting and speeding toward the atmosphere.

Cindy crossed her arms, giving the back of his head, outlined by the darkness and faint lights of space, a ferocious glare. "It's a family nickname," she replied stiffly.

Jimmy carefully hid his smile and concentrated on the blinking instruments. "We should see it any second now..."

With a yelp, Karen pointed a shaking finger. "I-is th-that it?"

Cindy looked up. Her eyes widened as she took in the sheer size of the rock, the shadow of its form huge against the starry backdrop of space. "Whoa," she breathed.

Jimmy, too, looked up, but not with an astonished look like the two females. His was a studious glance, inspecting the rock for the tell-tale emblems and glyphs like the previous two.

"It's from April," he announced, startling the other passengers back into reality. "I'm going to try to slow it down. Hang on!

The craft shot up behind, and a blue tractor beam emitted from the from it and locked onto the rock. Jimmy struggled with the controls, sweat dripping down his face as he ordered more power to the beam.

"Just...a little more power..." He mashed a button, and the turbulent ride ended.

"Who's April?" Karen asked this while staring in stunned awe at the rock.

Cindy scowled at the mention of the alien girl. Jimmy laughed, a little nervously. "Uh...she's a- um, a friend."

Karen glanced at the look on her cousin's face. "Whose? Cindy's or yours?"

Jimmy, too, cautiously watched Cindy's expression. "Um...I really need to get some anti-gravitational pods on the underside of this rock," he recited quickly, glancing at the pancakes he'd gotten.

The teenager (the one in the rocket; in fact, the ONLY one thus far in this story...) cast a few glances between her companions. "So...you mean somebody's gotta climb out there and stick something on that thing?" she asked, going along with the change in conversation. After all, what with that look on her younger cousin's face...it was for the best.

Both younger kids looked at each other, then at her, almost as one. "Somebody needs to control my ship," Jimmy said slowly.

"And somebody _really_ needs to keep an eye on these readings," Cindy finished.

Karen looked at them, the implication of their words sinking in. "You mean, you want me to- oh, no. No! I refuse!"

Cindy glared at her cousin. "Karen Vortex, we need you to- AGHHH!!!" The space craft trembled violently then, cutting her words short and causing its passengers to grab hold of anything in sight. In Jimmy's case, this meant Cindy, whom he quickly released.

Karen clutched the sides of her seat in a Vulcan death grip. Any tighter, and she'd be mind-melding with the space ship. "Wh-what was that?!" she demanded.

Jimmy peered at his onboard computer. "_That_ is why I need you to get these anti-gravitational pods on it. If you don't..." He trailed off.

"Bye-bye Retroville?" Karen finished grimly.

The boy genius nodded, and she sighed in exasperation, forcing her fingers to let go. "Alright, alright, I'll do it," she muttered, climbing over the front seats and taking the pods from Jimmy. "But I'm not happy about it."

"Quit griping and get it over with!" Cindy yelled. Her cousin glanced at her, her expression darkening. "Let's see _you_ do it, little Miss Bossy!" she snapped irritably.

Cindy tossed her head and glared at the instruments, deliberately ignoring Karen. Which the other girl hated more than anything.

_Oh, great. Battle of the hormones. I thought Cindy was too young to have them though..._ Jimmy thought for a moment. _Should I interrupt and risk my head...or just stay quiet?_ With a sigh, he tugged on the back of Karen's shirt. "Hello? We kind of have a crisis we need to avoid."

Karen turned her back on Cindy. She climbed out and onto the nose of the rocket, slowly inching her way across until she reached the rock. She eased out onto the monstrosity and leaned forward to attach the pods.

Without warning, the craft and rock shook again. Karen screeched in terror and wrapped her arms as far as they'd reach around the rock.

With a kind of detached horror, she watched the blue beam emanating from Jimmy's ship disappear, leaving her and the giant hunk of ground with nothing to do but fall.

"CINDYYYY!!!" she shrieked. The younger girl kept getting farther and farther away, and Karen kept dropping, dropping, dropping.

_OK, Vortex, think. What did Jimmy say about these things?_ She risked a quick glance at the flat, round, bluey pods. _He said that they were anti-gravitational. Meaning they'll make this rock...float? Like the Floating Island?_ She contemplated this comparison a bit further, until the rock shook slightly and jolted her out of the daydream.

She slowly rose to her knees until she sat on her ankles, and studied the pods again. _They're not the Master Emerald...but if they work, who cares?_

Karen fell back to her stomach. Reaching around one edge of the rock, she stuck a pod on what was now, since the rock kept spinning, the bottom. One her way back up, she caught a glimpse of the giant patchwork quilt that was cities, and felt her stomach roll.

"Don't look down...don't look down..." she chanted quietly while she secured the other pods to different sides. Finished, she stopped chanting and closed her eyes, her hands in her lap, legs crossed. _Please work, please work, please work..._

She felt nothing. No slowing, no floating, nothing. But she could tell that the pods had slowed the rock from the sight of Jimmy and his ship finally catching up with her. The same blue light came from his ship and latched onto the rock, with no turbulence this time.

Quick as a wink, Karen scampered across the rock and onto the ship, grateful to be alive and relatively safe. "Let's get outta here, please!" she whimpered pitifully.

Jimmy's face wreathed in smiles, he nodded. The tiny ship, with its huge cargo, zoomed through the clouds to the Neutron's backyard.

Sometime during the trip to the atmosphere and Karen's high-flying act, Jimmy had two visitors who still stood outside his lab.

A spiky haired kid (_Sheen?_) knocked frantically on the door. "Jimmy!" he screamed. "Jimmy, open up!"

His frantic attitude, combined with the already scratchy quality, caused his voice to hit a high note that confused the poor bats a thousand miles south in San Jose.

Carl, covering his ears to protect them from the damage his friend's voice could undoubtedly do to them, had turned slightly and was the first of the pair to spot Jimmy's ship. He tapped the still screaming Sheen on the shoulder and pointed. "Look!"

Sheen turned slightly to give his friend a Look. "Carl, can't you see I'm doing something here?" He turned back toward the club house. "Jimmy! I know you can hear me, so open up!"

Clearly perturbed by his friend's cluelessness, Carl shoved him in the shoulder. "Sheen! He's not _in_ his lab!"

Sheen, exasperated and hands on his hips, turned to Carl. "Oh, really? And how would you know?"

His pudgy friend pointed, finally getting his point across. "Because he's up _there!_"

Both boys looked up at the sky, then ducked as the ship flew dangerously close to the tops of their heads.

As soon as they touched the ground, Karen jumped out and away from the ship. "I am never, _never_ getting on that thing again," she muttered, walking off to the clubhouse.

Jimmy hopped out after her and headed to the rock, which now lay peacefully on the ground near his house, giving no indication of the danger its presence had had only moments before. (A/N: Don't ask...)

He studied the symbols carefully, unmindful of anyone else. Reading the instructions, he accessed the control panel and typed the instructions, then stood back and watched the screen.

April's worried face appeared on-screen, and her words made Jimmy's heart sink. "Jimmy Neutron! I and my people need your help. The matrix generators- they're gone! I had them stored safely, where no one but I knew. But they are not there now!" She paused, gathering her thoughts, then continued. "I suspect Meldar; he's the only one besides us who knows about them. But how he could escape from Vandanna... Please, we need you! Please come soon!"

Jimmy looked up, and ended up looking into green eyes.

"What does that mean?" Karen asked softly. She felt worried, but why she should when she had no clue what the green girl was talking about, she didn't know. But the look on Jimmy's face, and the way the strange looking girl had talked...who knew what was going on?

Jimmy took a deep breath, looking away as he gathered his thoughts. He looked around at Cindy, Sheen, Carl, and Karen. "It means," he said slowly, "that we're going on a trip."

----------------------------------- 

So...how was it? Please review. Sorry for the late-ness and the shortness. I promise to do some more thinking and writing, so you'll probably see a new chapter very soon. Promise.

R&R, peoples!


	6. The Final Frontier: Cindy's Mind

Hey, man! Nix the Trix, it's chapter 6! 

Hewwo, peoples! This here's chappie 6, and you know what that means! (dances around, whilst singing goofily) Space trip! Space trip! Space trip!

Jimmy: ; Please get on with it...

(stops dancing) Oh. Right. (clears throat) To my reviewers!

_Reviews:_ You guys are so sweet! As sweet as...pecan brittle! (hands out brittle)

Snapesucksman: (bows) You're too kind...

fanjimmy: Er...sorry it took so long...again...(grins sheepishly) I hate writer's block!

PinkPowerRanger07: I hoped someone would like that part of the chapter...(chuckles) Those poor bats get confused because of Sheen approximately every 1.2 hours. (smiles) Hope you like this chapter!

I'm **_SO_** sorry this took so long! Really, truly, I am. I've been weighed down lately with responsibilities and my grandmother died and my New World series (the first chapter has yet to be written!) and my web site and- Oh, no! I gotta go update it! (bangs head) ARGHH!

_Disclaimer:_ I do not now, nor ever will, own Jimmy Neutron, Cindy Neu- er, Vortex, Libby Folfax, Carl Wheezer, my own CGI bin...(sigh) I wish I owned Sheen.

Sheen: (is playing with his Ultra Lord doll) It's not a doll! It's an action figure!

Cindy: (rolls eyes) If that's an action figure, then my name's Jimmy.

Sheen: But you're Cindy! (suspiciously)...or are you?

Cindy: (rolls eyes again)

; Then again, maybe it's best I _don't_ own Sheen. The good folks at Viacom and Paramount do, though. And the Wachowski Brothers own Neo, Trinity, and the Matrix Trilogy. **But** I own Karen Vortex! MWAHAHAHAHA!

Jimmy: Have you been reading Sonic fan fics again?

...maaaaaybe... Enjoy the chapter!

Karen giggled with a high-pitched voice. "Go-going on a _what_!" she half-giggled, half-demanded. An odd sound, really.

Jimmy looked around his group of friends (and antagonizers). "A space trip. Someone's gotten ahold of the matrix generators!

Everyone but Karen gasped. The teenager just looked confused. "Matrix whatta-what? You mean, as in Keanu Reeves and Neo and Trinity and-"

Jimmy cut off her nervous rambling with a sharp shake of his head. "No, not _that_ Matrix," he interjected. "The matrix generators give whoever uses them almost anything they want. Meldar was the one we took them from, and he used them to control and terrorize countless civilizations- all for the 'entertainment' of others."

With a nod, Cindy added, "He blew up entire worlds just because somebody lost on his stupid 'game show'."

Karen just stood there, looking confused, then frightened, then...well, kind of sick. Green, really. Sheen hastily moved out of her way once he noticed the sickening tint to her face.

Jimmy's face became strained with unusually deep lines. He gazed around the group, and ended with looking at the teen. "Anyone who wants to help save the galaxy, meet me in the lab. The rest, go home."

Karen thought for a moment. _Ooh, toughie. Risk my life and save the universe...or play it safe and stay here, in Retroville, while anybody who even knows who I am and is under the age of, like, thirty is off fighting bad dudes and risking _their_ lives while I sit around, bored out of my brains? Yeah, _REAL_ tough choice._

With a sigh, she shrugged almost carelessly. "I'm in."

Cindy and Jimmy stared at her in disbelief. After all, wasn't this the girl who didn't want to go into space in the first place to retrieve the message from April? Perhaps she's been kidnapped and replaced with a look-a-like robot! (Or maybe I just need to shut up and move it along...)

Jimmy, after staring at Karen for what seemed an eternity without blinking, finally blinked and shrugged. "OK. Anybody else?"

Carl and Sheen looked at each other. "Will there be snacks?" Carl asked hopefully.

"Will we get our heads shot off?" Sheen asked worriedly.

"Will you shut up!" Cindy demanded. Shaking her head at the stupidity surrounding her, she held up a hand. "I'm in, but I got to call Libby. She'll want to be in on this."

Sheen perked up a little at this. "Libby's coming? I'm in!"

Karen cast a glance at Carl, who looked worried. "What'sa matter?" she asked absently. Quite frankly, she was shocked to have actually offered to go into space, without Cindy forcing her to, and thus didn't give much attention to what she was saying.

Carl looked up at her. Waaaay up, since Karen was, like, 5 foot 8 or something, and Carl is just a short kid. What, he's like 4 foot 2?

Anyway, Carl looked up at her, and his eyes got that little puppy look in them, all anime-y. Why, I don't know, but there it is.

Right about now, Karen got a bit suspicious. I mean, Carl with big anime eyes is sure to be followed by something weird, right? Or at least something weird_er_.

But he surprised her by asking a simple question, one that she'd heard many times before: "Who are you?"

Karen blinked in surprise. "I- uh, my name's Karen. I'm Cindy's cousin."

Carl's nose kind of scrunched up, then he nodded in what seemed to be understanding. "Oh."

Karen glanced back at Jimmy, who currently stood alone, since Cindy had left to get Libby sometime during Karen's confusion and short-lived conversation with Carl.

"When do we leave?" she asked of the young genius. Jimmy thought for a moment, then replied. "Tommorrow morning. We all need to get our bare essentials; change of clothes and such. Be ready to go by 5 a.m." And he turned and walked into his house.

Karen stared after him, her jaw barely missing the ground. "5 O'CLOCK! IN THE MORNING! What, does he think we're automotons or something?" She shook her head.

Sheen's left eye twitched slightly in what was, for him, a confused expression. "Auto-ma-what?"

Karen looked at the kid, and remembering what Cindy had said in her numerous e-mails about the boy known as Sheen Estevez. Particulary, what she'd said about his I.Q.

"Automotons are robots," she clarified quickly, before Sheen's eye could twitch any faster.

"Oh." His left eye stopped twitching.

"Hey, where's Nerdtron?" Cindy walked into Karen's line of vision, Libby in tow. Sheen's right eye started twitching as soon as he laid eyes on the cocoa skinned girl.

Karen cast the strange kid an equally strange glance as she replied, "He's gone inside. He said we need to pack and be ready to go at 5 tommorrow."

Cindy considered this. "Tommorrow night?"

"No, 5 in the morning."

Cindy's emerald eyes rounded until they were nearly as large as the saucers her mother used to balance tea cups on when guests came over. "5...in the morning?" she choked out. At Karen's nod, she made a strangling motion in the air. "I'll be ready," she growled. "Ready to kill him that early in the day..."

Karen observed with amusement Sheen's right eye. It twitched mostly twitched at a steady rate, but when Libby crossed the yard to hold his hand, it jumped and jerked with a life of its own. A strange sight, if you really think about it.

A door slammed, and Jimmy walked out onto the grass, rejoining the others. He held up a funny looking contraption and began his explanation. "This is the Neutronic Invisi-Ray. It turns you-"

"Lemme guess," Cindy intterupted. She crossed her arms and shot the boy genius a look. "It turns you invisible."

Undisturbed, Jimmy nodded. "Yes, that's right. And it-"

"You're gonna have to use it a lot sooner than tommorrow, Neutron!" Cindy jumped for him, but the startled boy genius moved away. His blonde nemesis followed, and he matched her step for step.

"5 o'clock in the MORNING!" Cindy shrieked, making another lunge for Jimmy. He quickly moved aside, leaving the girl to hit the ground. She tucked and rolled, almost immediatly on her feet.

"Cindy...it's not that bad!" Jimmy protested. "We'll need to be up early enough to get to the Gorlock homeworld on time!"

Not 3 yards away, Libby, Sheen, and Karen watched in amazement as the two traded words and blocked hits, as well as giving them. "Go Jimmy!" Sheen hollered at the top of his lungs. Karen glared down at him, and he moved away again, almost dragging Libby with him.

With a sigh, Libby distangled herself from Sheen's grip and headed to Cindy and Jimmy. At this time, the blonde had our young genius by the throat, and had put just the slightest bit of pressure. Libby rescued Jimmy before any further damage could be done, however, and Cindy huffed angrily.

"This is _not_ over yet, Nerdtron!" she threatened with one fist raised and shaking. Jimmy took another step back, behind Libby, and peered cautiously at the blonde girl over Libby's shoulder.

Karen decided to intervene, and stepped between Libby and Cindy. "Well, it can't be _that_ bad, Minds," she tried to reason. "I mean, we get up at about 6:00 every day to go to school, right? What's an hour earlier?"

Jimmy nodded silent agreement, but took another step back when Cindy tried to charge past her older cousin.

"You wanna know what the difference is? Tommorrow's SATURDAY!" She lunged at Jimmy, only to collide with Karen, who'd stepped between them again.

Meanwhile, while Karen tried to talk some sense into her younger cousin, Sheen fought off the bats furiously attacking his head, coming out of nowhere (but presumably from a southward position...) unnoticed by all but he and Carl. "Back, you! Back, you minions of Big Bat, Ultra Lord's worst enemy!"

With a simple, calm voice, Carl pleaded with the bats. "Please, Misters Bats, sirs, leave Sheen alone." He looked at them pleadingly. "Please? Pleeeeeeease?"

His voice actually reached a high pitch that further irritated their sensitive ears and sent them screeching back home. Their screech, by now, was actually audible to human ears due to the incredible duress they endured from Carl and Sheen's voices.

After this display of incredible weirdness, Karen and Libby finally seperated and kept seperated Jimmy and Cindy. Only then did Libby give Sheen a strange look. "Why were you screaming?"

Sheen, who kept fighting off now-gone bats, lowered his hands and looked around uneasily. "Do you see them?"

Everyone exchanged weirded out looks. Jimmy started to say something, but then, thinking better of it, decided not to ask. He gave Cindy a strange look and, staying behind the much taller Karen, continued his argument.

"If we don't get an early start, we won't be able to reach the Gorlock homeworld by their night time!"

Cindy, arms crossed and eyes glaring, replied, "Really? Or are you just in a hurry to see your alien girlfriend again?"

With an angry cry, Jimmy tried to fight Karen to get to Cindy, but the teenager grabbed his arms and pinned them behind his back so fast, it took the others a moment or two to register what happened.

"Shut up, both of you!" Karen glared at her younger cousin for a beat, then down at the kid she held. "We're going to the...uh...what was it again?"

"Gorlock," Carl offered.

"Yeah. We're going to the Gorlock homeworld to save the universe. No ulterior motives are neccesarily there, so just go home, pack, and be back here by...what, maybe 6? 6 o'clock tommorrow morning." She eyed the slack-jawed group. "Got it?"

Sheen nodded quickly and gave her a salute, walking backwards as he spoke. "Aye, aye, Capt'n!" And without a glance back, he scurried off to his house.

Carl glanced between everybody and nodded to himself. "Yeah, I gotta go, too. See you later, Jimmy!"

After Carl left, Libby made sure Karen had the situation in hand, then waved goodbye and went to her house.

Cindy glared at Jimmy, her green eyes snapping. "I'll see _you_ at 6 in the morning, Nerdtron," she growled, and stormed off to her house.

Karen sneaked a glance at Jimmy's unafraid expression. "Uh...I don't think she meant she'll just see you, see you." She turned the younger kid's arms loose. "I think she meant, 'my fist is gonna meet your face', see you." Karen scratched the back of her head. "Get it?"

Jimmy rubbed his sore arms ruefully. "Yeah, I think I do." He glanced up at her. "But at least you and Libby will be there, right?"

Karen shrugged. "Just don't make me pin your arms again, all right?" She gave him a wink.

Jimmy responded with a lopsided grin. "OK. See you tommorrow..." He started off toward his house.

Karen glanced around, finally realizing she was left alone. She stood still, staring up at the darkening sky. "Guess I'd better go pack..." she murmered to herself. Starting for the Vortex house, she grinned at the thought of Cindy's face at 6 o'clock in the morning...

With her overnight bag slung over one shoulder, Cindy squinted at the rising sun. "Almost time to get to Nerdtron's house," she muttered to herself.

Right behind her, Karen lugged three over-filled, monster-sized suitcases, and yet somehow managed to whistle enough to get on her cousin's nerves. "Hi ho, hi ho, it's off to space we go!" Finally coming to rest beside Cindy, she dropped the suitcases and collapsed on the ground.

"Whew! Those things are _heavy_! Why do we need all this stuff, anyway?" Karen asked, sliding her book bag off the other shoulder.

Cindy ignored her. Watching the Neutron house carefully, she spotted a certain high haired boy coming out the door. "Come on, Karen. Let's get this over with." She marched on ahead, leaving her cousin to carry the suitcases.

"Hey! Wait up!" Karen cried, standing to drag her cargo again. "A little help...please?"

Eventually, they made it across the street and onto Jimmy's lawn. The boy genius' friends and Libby had already made it, which tells you how long it took Karen to lug those blasted suitcases.

Jimmy looked around at all the faces surrounding him. "Looks like everybody's here," he said, grinning at Karen. "So...shall we go?"

"Yeah, yeah," Cindy grumbled, scowling at her nemisis. "So, how're we gonna get there, anyway, Pewtron?"

Cindy noticed Karen glance between her and Jimmy with a odd look on her face, but dismissed the thought in favor of getting on Jimmy's nerves.

Jimmy just stood there, grinning like a fool. "I thought we'd take the NSE on its maiden voyage."

Sheen started to say something that sounded a lot like, 'Oh, man, _more_ girls!", but Libby clapped her hand over his mouth in time to muffle it. So now it sounded more like, "Ohum mam, _thurm_ hims?"

Karen, however, had no one to stop her from asking, so ask she did.

"What's the NSE?" she asked, then adopted a confused look when everyone but herself and Jimmy groaned. "What?"

Jimmy sensed everyone's impatience to get on the road -or through the atmosphere, as the case now- so he made quick work of the explanations. "NSE stands for _Neutron Space Explorer_, and it's just your basic, space traveling vehicle." He made sure no one was disgruntled at the explanation, then nodded.

"Last chance to back out, guys. Who's going?"

Hands went up all over the yard. And when Jimmy asked who wanted to stay, no one made a move.

He nodded again. "OK, then. Let's load up. The NSE's over here."

10 minutes later, everything and everybody got loaded up. Jimmy phoned each parental units' house, explaining (through a voice synthesizer, of course) that each child would be going on a 4 week trip to Yellowstone park, courtesy of Eustace Strych's father.

And then, with a firing of the rockets, the group set out on a space trip.

A hooded figure observed the gathered Earth children. The three males looked weak and sickly, though Ga'Laa knew appearences could be decieving. And the blonde Earth girl with the big mouth...he knew she would be a formidable opponent.

As for her darker friend...not much was known of the earthling called 'Libby'.

And if little was known of her, than nothing was known of the tallest in the the group. He watched them pulling those strange Earth things to the big headed human's space ship, and couldn't help observing the tallest's strengh.

_Why did they not include a file on her?_ he asked himself, unnoticed by the humans as he watched the ship fire up and soar into the heavens.

He would find out soon enough, he supposed. But for now, all the duties required of him consisted of calling the commander and awaiting a transport ship.

_A pity such fascinating beings will go to waste,_ he mused to himself, flipping open the communicator. _But life goes on...even without Jimmy Neutron and his human friends..._

Ooh...who's the mysterious figure in the hood? Will Karen's space sickness wear off eventually? Do I even know what I'm doing! ...no, I don't suppose I do...

Now, about the strange parts, such as Carl's anime-y eyes and such...er...I really don't know what happened. I had a cold and had to take Day-Quil for it...boy, that was a while ago... That's why a part of this chapter is so strange. (shrugs)

Anyway...um...sorry it took so long. I gotta get started on the next chapter. Hopefully, it won't be quite as...strange...

Honest to goodness, I'll get to work on the next chapter right away! Promise! Hey! I prom- (dodges tomatoes) Ha ha! Missed m- (KO'd by a tomato) ...

Day-Quil is (c) the owners of Day-Quil. There is no copyright infringement intended. Go eat some chocolate-covered waffles, and have a nice day.


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